An ambulance was later seen arriving to the scene as players knelt down and prayed for their fallen quarterback. Bridgewater remained on the ground, clutching his left knee after going down with a non-contact injury.

Major Blow

While Bridgewater had some inconsistencies to his game, he still improved in his second season in the league in 2015, putting up 14 touchdowns and over 3,200 passing yards while completing over 65% of his passes.

Bridgewater was still working to evolve his game and help Minnesota turn into a more explosive offense, and by all accounts appeared to be doing just that throughout a strong camp and stellar preseason.

For however much time Bridgewater is shelved with his injury, the Vikings at least for now figure to turn to backup, Shaun Hill. The 36-year old Hill last started games for the Rams in 2014 and could be thrust into a huge role. It remains to be seen if Minnesota would be comfortable moving forward with Hill as their main man under center, or if they would opt to swing a trade for an upgrade.

Vikings Odds Take Hit

Bridgewater had yet to solidify himself at the NFL level, but he had made serious strides during his first two seasons in the league. He had specifically made major improvements over the past off-season and was a key reason why some NFL experts felt Minnesota finally had the tools to make a title run.

Bovada gave the Vikings reasonable Super Bowl odds (+1800) going into 2016 and also made them a threat to win the NFC North for the second year in a row.

Minnesota still has good coaching, a rising defense and a stud rusher in Adrian Peterson to lean on, but not having Bridgewater for any amount of time could set them back dramatically. Losing Bridgewater to what seems like a season-ending injury could completely destroy their 2016 Super Bowl odds.

Minnesota has yet to make an official announcement and it remains to be determined what action they would take in the event Bridgewater’s injury keeps him from playing in 2016. Until more details emerge, betting on the Vikings in any capacity – especially to get to or win Super Bowl 51 – looks like a dangerous proposition.